observed, to Grande Port, where the enemy’s cruisers frequently assembled, and to which they had sent many of their valuable prizes taken in the Indian seas. So completely was the French commandant taken by surprise, that he neglected to destroy his private signals and instructions, by means of which a successful ruse was afterwards practised by Captain Willoughby, who wrote to Lieutenant Chads as follows:–
“Sir,– As the officer who volunteered, and expected to head the storming party at l’Isle de la Passe, though from the bad sailing of his Majesty’s ship Nereide it was impossible for me to be present, I consider it justice to one of the handsomest coups of our campaign, to declare that I think a more gallant action could not be performed; and that I always considered, and do now, l’Isle de la Passe as an extremely strong fortification against boats or storming. I return you my sincere thanks for the great help this capture gave me, in enabling me instantly to attack Point du Diable, and to put in execution the wishes of his Excellency the Governor of Bourbon[1].
Mr. James, in the fifth volume of his Naval History, second edit. p. 401, says, “we cannot understand how it happened, that the official account” (his own, by-the-bye, is a most incorrect one) “of this very dashing exploit, did not find its way into the London Gazette.” He would have expressed still greater surprise had he known, that it contained no mention whatever of the Iphigenia’s boats, nor any acknowledgment of the assistance rendered by nearly 50 of her crew, then serving under the command of Lieutenant Chads. We shall here present our readers with a copy of this hitherto unpublished document:–
